Martin Brundle pinpoints one way in which Christian Horner's successor at Red Bull would be different from him

F1 pundit Martin Brundle feels that one area where Christian Horner's successor, Laurent Mekies, is going to be different from him is how he handles the political side. Something that stood out about Horner throughout his tenure at the team is how he was always someone who was not willing to give an inch at any point.

This was precisely why it was often seen that Red Bull was willing to lodge protests to the FIA against their rivals, even if the probability of success was minimal. To add to this, Christian Horner was someone who never shied away from a confrontation at any point in his career and has clashed with team bosses like Toto Wolff at Mercedes or, for that matter, with Zak Brown at McLaren as well.

Unfortunately for Horner, his tenure with Red Bull has now come to an end, and what we have is a new regime. Laurent Mekies has taken over, and he has a very different style, and the team would automatically adapt accordingly.

Talking about the change at Red Bull, Martin Brundle felt that one of the biggest changes that he felt was going to happen is the change in how involved Mekies is in the political side of things. That area used to be where Christian Horner was omnipresent, and maybe his successor is not going to have the same style. He said (via Sky Sports F1):

"Laurent is a smart guy, diligent, hardworking – he’ll play a completely different role to what Christian did. I can’t imagine him doing the politics. If you think back to the some of the pit wall, shouting at the race director when they were able to do that, really fighting those political corners – that’s not going to happen anymore. It’s a different deal now."

He added:

"The teams are so big and we’re seeing it up and down the pit lane now, this is how they’re structuring themselves – much more departmentalised rather than one person overseeing it. It will be really interesting to see how it plays out."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff on missing Christian Horner at Red Bull

Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was also questioned about whether he would miss Christian Horner at Red Bull, as he had been a permanent fixture there for decades now. The Austrian admitted that Horner did have his own way of doing things and would be missed.

Wishing Horner the best, Wolff said (via Sky Sports F1):

"In a way yes. He was one of the main casts. I don't think he's gone forever, he could pop up in some other function. I need to be careful, he could rock up in the FIA then I'm really in the s***. He was someone that was controversial, polarising and not soft-washed. That was good from the entertainment factor and from that perspective he will be missed. His track record speaks for itself."

While Red Bull has now fired Christian Horner and he is no longer a part of the team, it would be interesting to see what lies in the future of the Brit, as there would be a few parties that have already reached out to him, looking at the pedigree of the man.